Making music: Moving from the Royal Marines to a profession in sports activities broadcasting audio with Sophie Lambert

Sophie Lambert working on the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, as sound supervisor for the shotput feed in early March 2024

Sophie Lambert is a former Royal Marine musician turned sports activities broadcasting sound engineer. She runs a enterprise together with her husband – the pair are each freelance sound engineers – they usually usually get to work collectively on the identical jobs.

How did you first discover out about TV broadcasting as a profession?

When I left the army I ended up working at Arqiva as a serious occasions bookings coordinator, planning and reserving satellite tv for pc and fibre distribution for main sporting occasions world wide. Arqiva have a number of ex-military staff and I met a few of them down the pub in Winchester they usually invited me to use for the position. At that time I didn’t actually know all of the constructing blocks that go into making the reveals themselves, however I beloved seeing the occasions I had deliberate seem on TV.

Sophie Lambert on court docket in California on the BNP Paribas Open 2022

What was your inspiration or concept, and why sports activities broadcasting?

I used to be finally made redundant from Arqiva and I set my sights on making the TV as a substitute of distributing it. I had some contacts within the trade, and as a musician the sound division appeared like the perfect match.

As a 30 12 months outdated I went and did as a lot work expertise and shadow days as I may on gentle leisure reveals and sport. Eventually I used to be supplied a job with Telegenic as a trainee sound assistant.

Sport broadcasting is thrilling; it’s dwell which implies you merely can’t cock it up – working below stress, and having the issue fixing abilities are tremendous vital – issues which I had discovered within the army. I simply wanted to use the technical broadcast audio-specific ones.

Tell us extra about your time at Telegenic.

As a trainee sound assistant at Telegenic my time was cut up between the warehouse studying all in regards to the equipment and loading the tenders, then out on website taking care of their many and different sports activities and leisure contracts. I shadowed extra skilled engineers for some time and regularly was given tasks for various areas.

Lots of being a sound assistant out on the ground or pitch is you want actually good individuals abilities, managing expertise and friends, in addition to the engineering. I knew I had the individuals abilities; I used to be a bit older had executed plenty of life in comparison with the 20 12 months olds within the division. I simply wanted to expertise issues going incorrect, the right way to clear up them, and the right way to most effectively set completely different bits of equipment up. I beloved the educational, being on the massive sports activities occasions and dealing with all of the completely different individuals.

I left Telegenic in 2021 having gained a wealth of data throughout all kinds of various occasions and contracts and I’ve been freelance ever since. This 12 months I’m shifting into the position of sound supervisor and actually having fun with the brand new challenges that brings with it. I spend plenty of my 12 months engaged on the ATP tennis excursions, typically on website and typically mixing remotely again in London.

What did you examine earlier than your profession?

I studied artwork, music and drama at school, and went onto the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) the place I did the music theatre and leisure administration course. However, I left after a 12 months and joined the Royal Marines band service as a percussionist. I served for six years and finally ended up at Arqiva as soon as I left.

How is freelance life going?

I’ve gained a big community of colleagues from everywhere in the trade they usually contact me to immediately work for them on numerous occasions. Some are common – yearly – and a few just like the funeral of the Queen or the Coronation of King Charles are one-offs and often the sound supervisor will get in contact for issues like that.

The OB trade is held along with an enormous community of freelancers in all departments. This has its advantages as I can search for occasions I’d actually prefer to work on, however has its flaws as work isn’t assured.

Being freelance is each thrilling and aggravating. Learning to say no could be very troublesome as typically you don’t know when your subsequent job will are available. I’m fortunate to have some work for manufacturing managers who see the worth in an everyday crew returning to the identical occasion every year. But it’s a stability to maintain a mixture of work for various corporations as no work is ever assured. I really like the travelling that comes with this life particularly on the tennis tour, nevertheless it does imply I don’t get to go dwelling fairly often. I’m fortunate to work usually with my husband so no less than I see him, however I can go months typically with out going again to my dwelling.

Sophie Lambert taking care of the sphere of play for the World Athletics in Budapest 2023, alongside her husband Chris

What’s probably the most difficult factor about working in dwell sport right now, or typically, and why? Over the final couple of years I’ve labored predominantly in tennis and athletics. Both of those occasions are very lengthy days, so having the stamina and endurance to make them a hit is a problem, usually with jet lag, distant from dwelling.

I attempt to take a big chunk of day without work between December and February to hibernate at dwelling with the intention to get well from a 12 months of journey; for my psychological and bodily well being that is actually important (however clearly comes with monetary implications).

What challenges have you ever confronted over the course of your profession, and the way did you get you get previous these challenges?

When I served within the Marines I used to be the one ladies to do my particular job in percussion in the entire band service on the time, so coming into sound in broadcasting wasn’t a lot of a shock.

I’m used to being the one lady on the sound workforce – though it’s so, so pretty after I’m not! I feel that as a ladies, I’m much less inclined to say sure to a difficult position until I’m 99% certain I can nail it, however I’m sure the lads don’t suppose like that in any respect. I’ve discovered to push myself out my consolation zone and consider in my very own skills extra.

What do you suppose has been a very thrilling or leading edge factor in sports activities broadcasting?

Remote manufacturing has clearly completely modified the best way we make sport. I sit in London with a mixing desk the place I can choose up feeds from everywhere in the world, with the commentators within the subsequent room to me. This is at all times evolving and getting higher; nothing beats the environment and feeling of being on the occasion itself although!

What’s the best factor you’ve labored on in the midst of your profession?

The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth; for this I used to be working for the BBC taking care of the presentation studio. I had initially been in London to work on the Last Night of the Proms, when she handed and it was a scramble to get the plan in movement for the funeral.

We derigged the corridor for Last Night of the Proms and met the truck on the different facet of Hyde Park the place we arrange the BBC studio [for the funeral].

We had an enormous variety of very excessive profile friends whom I needed to put together for his or her time on set by micing them up guaranteeing we might get the perfect audio from them; in these moments you don’t have very lengthy, individuals are usually sporting lovely outfits you don’t need to injury or mark, and they’re usually busy speaking to the opposite friends, so individuals administration is so, so vital.

It was a tremendous factor to be part of and the sound workforce received a BAFTA for it, which was a pleasant cherry on prime.

Sporting-wise a spotlight for me was operating the road at Twickenham throughout a Six Nations match; I used to be on one facet following the motion with a mic and my husband was on the opposite!

Pitchside on the UEFA World Cup in Qatar 2022 the place Sophie Lambert was mixing a highlights present for BBC Sport

What recommendation would you give to different ladies trying to transfer into a task in sports activities broadcasting like your individual?

Find somebody working within the little bit of the trade you’re fascinated about; in the event you’re unsure what that’s then simply discover anybody they will let you know the way it all works.

To work in OB’s you primarily want the passion and drive to succeed, not a level or qualification (I don’t have any in any respect…). Talk to individuals, search them out. If you might have the appropriate perspective the OB world will welcome you and also you’ll discover a place the place you slot in.

Be ready for lengthy days – within the rain – to be taught your craft. It’s not for everybody, however we’re a giant TV household who journey the world and there’s at all times room for another!

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March 7, 2024 at 01:59PM